Forklift Testimonials / Lift Truck Testimonials | Vancouver, BC
EV Logistics
In the spring of 2010, we engaged the services of Fleetman Consulting to help us assess our existing forklift fleet and to help us strategically plan for the future.
Our fleet consisted of more than 140 units comprised mainly of electric reach trucks, counterbalanced sit down trucks, counterbalanced stand up trucks and some ride on electric pallet jacks.
The goal was to find a way to reduce and control our ongoing forklift costs that, at the time, were higher than we thought they should be.
We also felt the need to acquire some expert advice in addition to the advice normally offered by the average forklift dealer because we wanted the advice to be independent, unbiased and not potentially connected to a forklift sale. Our goal was to create an overall strategic vision for the present and future.
Scott personally assessed and collected data from each of our existing forklifts on-site and he talked with each of our key staff including those people who were working in upper management, operations and maintenance.
He installed special Fleetman designed maintenance tracking software to help us further understand our existing forklift costs, inclusive of maintenance, which we still use to this day.
In addition, he collected various data from our facility and from our accounting records. From the data he collected, he was able to analyze and assemble this data into a report that he later brought back and presented to our management team. We were very impressed with how comprehensive and thorough the report was and how easy it was for us to make decisions on what we should do in the future based on the way he displayed and presented the data.
Since 2010, we have implemented the majority of Scott’s recommendations and it is clear that we are on a path that will ensure our fleet remains economically viable over the years.
I would not hesitate to recommend Fleetman Consulting to anyone regardless of their particular forklift issue at hand. The experience was very positive for us and we would do it again if the need arises.
We appreciate the value we received and the professionalism of Scott and his company.
Marshall Austin
General Manager
EV Logistics ( A Joint Partnership Between Exel Logistics & The Versacold Group )
Tolko Industries Ltd.
Scott brought an amazing level of knowledge and detail about forklifts to our project that allowed us as an organization to correctly identify our internal needs and source the correct machines for our operations.
Denise Chorley
Procurement Manager
Tolko Industries Ltd.
Praxair
About three years ago I was contemplating the replacement of our current fleet of electric forklifts. I was uncertain of how to proceed to ensure that we purchased the correct units for our current business while keeping future growth in mind. At the same time I wanted to develop a program for future lift truck replacement. At that time we had a fleet consisting of four stand-up electric forklifts and one propane unit with the newest unit being eight years old. All the lift trucks were tired and annual repair costs were high. By chance, a flyer from Fleetman Consulting showed up in my mail slot and I called Scott to set up a meeting.
Right from the start I found Scott to be very professional and that he knew the intricacies of the forklift industry. Scott took the time to understand our business needs and the unique requirements for the equipment that we would purchase. Once he had all the necessary information, he put together a very professional RFP, and walked us through the steps of choosing the right vendor. We were able to drop one unit and now have a fleet of four brand new lift trucks with a program to replace the units on a more frequent basis.
I highly recommend Scott Mcleod for any business looking to upgrade or improve their forklift fleet. I will most definitely use Fleetman Consulting in the future.
Rob Parsons
Plant Operations Manager
Praxair
Quesnel River Pulp ( a division of West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. )
With the help of Fleetman Consulting, I was able to clearly understand the advantages and disadvantages of leasing forklifts verses rental verses purchase and the implications of various maintenance options.
In addition, with Scott's help, we have been able to reduce the total number of forklifts in our fleet which has reduced our total monthly costs, inclusive of maintenance.
We also worked on developing detailed specifications for future new machines which we believe will maximize productivity and reduce cost at our mill site here in Quesnel.
As a result of my work with Scott, I am confident that we have optimized our choice of lift trucks and that our mobile equipment costs will be reduced significantly in 2010 and in future years.
I would gladly recommend Scott McLeod and Fleetman Consulting to any company that uses forklift equipment.
Mike Van Aert, P.Eng.
Production Manager
Quesnel River Pulp Co.
A Division of West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd.
Lordco Auto Parts Ltd.
A few years ago the philosophy at Lordco was to buy used forklifts. Although each store location required the use of a forklift, the usage per day was so low that it seemed difficult to justify acquiring a new machine. When we looked for a used forklift we were at the mercy of the market and had to accept what was available at the time of our need and this often meant compromising on certain features that we would otherwise want to have.
Scott McLeod helped change all of that for us. He has such significant product knowledge and knowledge of other customer applications similar to ours that he was able to properly advise us on the right forklift to buy and how to choose the options to best meet the needs of our store locations. He did this in a way that lowered our total forklift costs over the longer term.
In addition to choosing the right options for a particular store location, Scott also made sure the trucks were configured in such a way as to increase our flexibility to move the forklifts from one store location to another... ie the specifications of the truck were largely acceptable to most of the store locations in the Lordco family. This consideration would allow us the ability to rotate our trucks when the need arose due to service issues or for upgrading requirements etc.
I have always found Scott to be very reliable and creative when it came to finding solutions to our problems. He has a unique ability to quickly assess a situation and find the right solution to achieve an outcome that will maximize our profitability or improve other related aspects of our business.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Scott to another business if they were looking to find ways to better structure their forklift fleet. We were very happy with the outcome.
Joe Fantillo
Fleet Manager
Lordco Auto Parts Ltd.
Standard Building Supplies Ltd.
Approximately 3 years ago I met Scott McLeod at a time when our forklift fleet was a mixed bag of different makes and models, hours, condition etc.
We met at a time when our company was experiencing unprecedented growth and change. We knew that finding safe but productive forklift drivers was difficult as the demand for this type of employee was high due to the significant growth of the BC economy. Frankly the challenge still exists today.
We also knew that if we were going to compete in what is a highly competitive building supply market we would need a better mouse trap and we would need to clearly show our value, not only in the marketplace, but with our employees.
Scott took the time to look into more than just the forklifts we had. He spent a lot of time talking to our people and finding out what they liked and didn't like about our current trucks but he went further than that. He also wanted to know more about our business, our challenges, our opportunities and our constraints.
He surveyed our facility, took lots of measurements and he provided evaluations for our equipment. He also studied the usage of our equipment and recommended ways to be more efficient with the trucks we had throughout the day. He spent a lot of time making sure that our equipment specifications were right and that they would allow the truck to be as versatile and effective as possible.
When we finally decided to upgrade we knew that the work Scott did at our facility would help us make the best decisions. He was there every step of the way before, during and after the delivery of the new machines making sure all would go according to plan.
Today our forklift operators are extremely happy and our employee turnover in this area is the lowest it has been in our company's history.
We have less product damage today because our operators care about their job and the impact their activities have on the company's profitability.
We burn less fuel, our work environment is quieter and in general our employees feel more safe.
As for productivity, we feel our current equipment helps us get more done in a day as we have taken advantage of technology that reduces an operator's effort to move a load.
Scott was very instrumental in helping us see the light and make changes when sometimes they were a little uncomfortable to make. Today we are very glad we made these changes.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Scott to any client that is looking to do more with less and who would like to run a more efficient and safe forklift fleet. He helped us tremendously.
Darcy Doroshenko
Operations Manager
Standard Building Supplies Ltd.
Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics
As the facilities manager of Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics, I am happy to reflect positively on the work performed by Fleetman Consulting. We have many forklifts in our operation and one of the most common maintenance problems I find with the assets is that operators neglect or are unsure of when and how to safely refill the expensive batteries that these units use. Scott personally came down and took an interest in our business and the performance that we expected from our forklifts. He was able to, very inexpensively, install and train our operators on the refill system that is now on all our forklift batteries. All of my operators are very happy with the improvement, and I am sure we will see more life out of these batteries than we would have otherwise.
My appreciation goes out to Scott for the work he did on this project.
Chris Smith
Facilities Manager
Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics
Denbigh Fine Art Services Ltd.
We contacted Scott McLeod at Fleetman Consulting Inc. with a non-operational forklift, and a very busy warehouse space. We were looking into buying an expensive replacement unit, but Scott found an economical and expedited solution to our problem that we weren’t able to.
Our forklift was back up and running perfectly within a few days of making that first phone call. Our dealings with Scott could not have been more efficient and professional. We really appreciated his help and insight and will contact Fleetman Consulting again with any future forklift issues.
Scott Milne
Operations Manager
Denbigh Fine Art Services Ltd.
IEM Industrial Electrical Mfg. ( Canada ) Inc.
Re: Fleetman Consulting
When we began investigating new forklift trucks to meet the needs of our growing operations we soon realized that we were outside our area of expertise.
We were fortunate to find Scott McLeod with Fleetman Consulting who was able to share his expertise and help us develop truck specifications to fit our needs and options relative to both financing and maintenance contracts for us to consider. His insight during the evaluation and leveling of various proposals was invaluable and enabled selection of the most suitable equipment and maintenance at an effective cost point for our company.
I would highly recommend Scott McLeod for anyone looking to make an educated decision with sound advice on such an important business operation that affects staff, safety and efficiency.
Doug Kristensen
Executive Vice President
IEM Industrial Electrical Mfg. ( Canada ) Inc.
Hampton Affiliates
Hampton Lumber Mills Inc. – Willamina & Tillamook Divisions, Oregon, USA.
Fleetman Consulting provided us a detailed analysis of our forklift fleet at two of our sawmills.
This analysis helped us to better understand our forklift utilization allowing us to reduce our fleet at both sawmills along with the related maintenance and operating costs for these forklifts.
Fleetman’s analysis also helped us develop a short-term and long-term strategy for our forklift fleet at both sawmills which included determining the amount and type of lifts we need in the future.
I strongly recommend Scott McLeod and Fleetman Consulting to any company that uses forklift equipment and wants to better understand their fleet.
Chris Walton
Corporate Controller
Hampton Affiliates
Haida Forest Products Ltd.
I was approached by Scott to do an analysis of our forklift fleet approximately 4 years ago.
When our company finally had enough of our forklift fleet either breaking down, or not running very well, Scott assisted us with a solution that reduced our fleet from 6 forklifts to three.
While our operators were very pleased to have new machines that were comfortable to drive, our fuel savings and reduced maintenance costs provided a payback of less than 3 years.
We found Scott's product knowledge to be first rate, and his analysis of our fleet and the resulting solution was very well documented and thought out.
I would recommend Scott to anyone wanting to improve their mobile material handling fleet.
Robert Sandve
Plant Manager
Haida Forest Products Ltd.
Terminal Forest Products Ltd.
We have dealt with Scott McLeod for a little over 10 years now at our sawmill in south Vancouver. Scott has always been our point of contact when purchasing forklifts at the mill.
When we acquire new forklifts, Scott has been very helpful when choosing the options and truck configurations. We typically run 24 hours a day so it is critically important that we deal with someone with Scott’s product knowledge so that downtime and / or product damage is minimized.
Our lift trucks have many custom options to meet our exacting requirements. With Scott’s many years of experience he has been able to relate to these requirements to help us solve problems quickly when they arise.
Scott has demonstrated that we can rely on him to give us a straight answer to our questions and the integrity of his solutions has earned our trust over the years.
If forklifts are a large part of your business, and if you are finding their costs to be unaffordable, I couldn’t recommend a better guy than Scott to help you get back on the right track.
Eric Calverley
General Manager
Mainland Sawmills
A Division of Terminal Forest Products Ltd.
I-XL Masonry Supplies Ltd.
I-XL Masonry Supplies Ltd. has been in business since 1912. We have always been a company that has paid attention to our costs.
I first met Scott McLeod roughly 5 years ago. At the time, we had 9 branches and a fleet of 24 multiple brand forklifts. From our first meeting, I knew Scott was genuinely interested in our business and first impressions told me that he knew what he was talking about as it related to forklift trucks. He seemed to have the background and experience that I was looking for.
At the time, I knew very little about forklifts. Back then, I thought the decision concerning what type of forklift to buy was mostly about how much it would lift and how high. From there it was just a matter of sending out requests to quote and then we would buy the most inexpensive. What is interesting is that not one forklift company bothered to teach me that there were many other things to consider? Scott McLeod was the exception.
When I was first contacted by Scott, I told Scott we were not in the market for a forklift. I really believe this did not matter to Scott. Scott was interested in making me a more informed purchaser of forklifts. I was impressed that it did not matter to him that our fleet was minimal and probably not going to grow significantly more than the purchase of one forklift a year. Scott McLeod is passionate about what he does.
I quickly developed a trust in Scott that he was sincere, that he was looking out for our best interests and that he was very knowledgeable about the lift truck industry. He has never let me down on this. Over time, I have become a more informed purchaser of forklifts, with Scott’s help. Almost from the outset, I have always looked to Scott as our forklift consultant. I truly believe there is no one as knowledgeable about the lift truck business as Scott McLeod. Scott McLeod is sincere and he has the ability to add value to my business.
Yes, we have bought forklifts from Scott over the last 5 years but it was never because of the purchase price. It was because of my new found knowledge, with Scott’s input, where I felt confident we were purchasing a truck that was right for us. Scott showed me so many things to consider, other than the original purchase price of a forklift, such as maintenance savings, fuel savings, speed to unload trucks, operator satisfaction, safety, the environment etc. Scott McLeod understands the overall picture from the owner to the operator of owning and operating a forklift.
True story #1..... Scott provided us with a demo truck before we ever purchased from him. Scott knew there would be major push back from our operator when the new style of truck arrived; Scott was there to assist. He was able to identify with the operator and he reassured him that in a short time this would be the operators’ forklift of choice. This same forklift operator was offered a transfer a year later to another yard much closer to his home; he would only accept the transfer if he could take the forklift that Scott had recommended to his new yard. Scott helped us make the right decision.
True story #2..... we were interested in purchasing 1 maybe 2 electric forklifts. These would be replacements for existing internal combustion trucks. Scott discouraged me from purchasing what was available at the time because there was new technology coming. He felt this was absolutely the wrong time to purchase even though he might lose the sale. We held off and purchased when the new technology was available. I know today that this was the right thing to do. We now have 3 electric trucks with a 4th being considered in the near future.
Scott McLeod is honest, trustworthy, knowledgeable and definitely not full of himself. I know his suggestions and ideas have definitely helped us to reduce the cost of buying and operating our forklifts. We would never consider buying another forklift without first consulting with Scott McLeod.
Dryco Building Supplies
Our company, Dryco Building Supplies, is a leading supplier of gypsum board, insulation, acoustical tile, grid, stucco, tools, steel framing and allied products to the Canadian wall and ceiling industry. We operate roughly (15) forklifts from (9) locations in (3) Canadian Provinces; BC, Alberta and Ontario. The fleet is a mixture of different makes and models of trucks where some are owned and others are leased. Due to our lack of forklift experience, we decided to involve Scott McLeod, President and Owner of Fleetman Consulting Inc., in our most recent forklift purchase as Scott has extensive experience in the lift truck industry but is not associated with a forklift dealership.
Scott helped us tremendously by making sure we were choosing the right size and type of lift truck and with the best options for our industry. He was also instrumental in making sure we negotiated the acquisition to our advantage and with the terms and conditions that we believe will save our company thousands of dollars over the next 5 years.
We were very happy with the outcome. Going forward, we would definitely use the services of Fleetman Consulting Inc. again and we would gladly recommend Scott to any other business that is looking to improve their bottom line by lowering their forklift costs.
Dan Mauro
BC Operations Manager
Dryco Building Supplies
Basalite Concrete Products Vancouver, ULC.
I have worked with Scott on a number of different projects over the last several years. When it came time to purchase a replacement forklift I contacted Fleetman to help me with the selection process.
With Scott’s help a detailed “request for quotation” was developed that ensured that we were able to acquire the right forklift at the right price.
I would not hesitate to work with Scott again.
Randy Martin
Foreman – Dry Mix Division
Basalite Concrete Products Vancouver, ULC.
Vancouver Prop & Costume
Vancouver Prop & Costume moved into a larger warehouse in the summer of 2015. The majority of our inventory is indoors so an electric forklift was called for. Scott McLeod helped us to compile a checklist of our needs based on interviews and observations of our business. Being our first experience with an electric machine, Scott personally advised us on the pros and cons of a battery operated unit as well as which dealers to solicit bids from. His inside knowledge of the business allowed us to maximize our leverage with bidding. He also came by and inspected the unit upon delivery. I would highly recommend Scott and Fleetman Consulting to anyone interested in purchasing warehouse related equipment.
Mark Robinson
Partner
Vancouver Prop & Costume
Cascadia Metals Ltd
I have recently had the pleasure of working closely with Scott McLeod, President of Fleetman Consulting, on a full-scale review and analysis of my company’s forklift fleet. Scott’s attention to detail, thoroughness in data collection and analysis, along with his exhibited professionalism and industry expertise, were exemplary. The findings of the review and recommendations presented were very easily understood, practical and situationally applicable. At every step of the way Scott was very flexible and generous with his time and attention, and more than willing to provide any additional suggestions and guidance leading to the best solutions for my organization. I would look forward to the future opportunities of working with Scott on any projects of this nature, and I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending his services to the organizations that are seeking to streamline and optimize their forklift fleets.
Sasha Yovanovich, MSc, P.Log, CSCP
Cascadia Metals Ltd.
Operations Manager
Western Rubber Products
I had a couple of meetings with Scott prior to taking advantage of his expertise in the area of forklift fleet management. Scott had made several observations during those meetings that were of interest to me and it was obvious that there were some financial benefits to his approach. I finally decided to ask Scott if he would take a good look at our fleet and give us some advice.
Well, here we are after his “Assessment Report”. His "Summary" was very definitive and it gave us the blueprint we needed to make the necessary changes. It is perhaps a little early in the process to actually spell out any one particular advantage in this effort. We are certainly viewing our approach in a much more enlightened fashion and are convinced that this "Assessment" was a wise investment for us. It will lead to much better decision making regarding our strategies. These things can take time and I firmly believe that Fleetman Consulting has put us on the right track at last.
Mark Johnson
Manager HR, Fire and Safety
Western Rubber Products
Watkins Sawmills Ltd.
I first met Scott McLeod almost 4 years ago now. Within a very short time of talking to Scott, it was clear that I was dealing with someone that knew the ins and outs of the forklift business. He seemed to relate very well to my particular needs even though our business has some very specific requirements as it relates to the forklift.
Scott was able to come in and assess our business very well. He suggested attachments and various options that were available for forklifts which we never previously considered or knew existed.
With his experience, Scott was able to recommend a forklift solution that took into account more than just the forklift itself. The result is that our productivity has increased and our costs have gone down.
We know our industry very well and Scott knows forklift trucks. What was particularly different about Scott was that he cared about our needs and he listened to us. In the end, we both felt good about making some very positive changes for our company and we have enjoyed the benefits ever since.
If there is a business person that needs help figuring out what to do with their forklift fleet or if they simply want to find a way to reduce costs, I would highly recommend that you contact Scott for assistance as he is the expert in the forklift field.
Glenn Johnson
Yard Supervisor
Watkins Sawmills Ltd.
Canadian Willamette Industries Inc.
We are a small business with only 4 forklifts in our fleet. I was skeptical what value Fleetman could offer our small business. After my first meeting with Scott I quickly realized his knowledge and expertise was going to add significant value to our operation. After extensive on site analysis and discussions with our staff he provided us a report which gave us an objective look at our current workflow and operations. The end result was us changing some of our current practices which allowed us to eliminate equipment and redundancy in our forklift fleet and lower our overall annual operating costs. Thanks for your help Scott. Look forward to working with you in the future.
Jim Rowson, BBA, CA
Director of Operations
Canadian Willamette Industries Inc.
Taste Culinary Inc.
We used the services of Fleetman Consulting to assist us with the purchase of a forklift (our first one) for our new small scale food processing plant in Vancouver. He also provided a recommendation on the type of pallet racking that would work in our tiny location, and for potential suppliers.
I initially read about his forklift consulting services in an article a couple of years ago in Business in Vancouver and then a website search found him. In the end we purchased a used, repossessed forklift (which he found for us) that is perfect for our needs. He guided us through the purchase and due diligence process and he found a battery for it as well.
Scott is available to answer questions, is professional and he provided us with good advice for our forklift and pallet racking purchases. We now have a good forklift that will fulfill our needs for a long time and pallet racking that maximizes our space.
I would not hesitate to recommend Fleetman Consulting to anyone that was looking for help with their forklift fleet. We were very satisfied with their service.
Allyson Nelson
President
Taste Culinary Inc.
CarlWood Lumber Limited
Approximately (4) years ago our plant was operating (3) forklift trucks where our costs seemed to be a little higher than they were in the past.
At the time we thought we needed all (3) forklifts because each forklift had a specific purpose in our plant and each forklift was different in capacity, lifting height etc. so it wasn't possible to switch the lift trucks around to the various work areas.
We had been operating this way for years and to be honest we didn't think there was a better way at the time.
Back then, (2) of the (3) forklifts were getting very old with too many hours and repair bills that seemed to be excessive. We decided that something needed to be done to improve the situation so we started to look into replacing them with new machines.
Had we not met Scott McLeod back then, that's likely what we would have done.
Scott helped us slow down the thinking process and he helped us consider all the costs associated with operating a forklift truck. He walked through our plant and talked to our people and he took lots of measurements. He recorded hour meter readings and he took the time to ask what we liked and didn't like about the trucks we had. He also asked our people about the bottlenecks they experienced every day.
With all this information he came back and showed us that our initial decision to replace (2) forklifts would not be the best decision in the long term. Scott showed us that it would be far more cost efficient to replace all (3) trucks with (2) trucks that were configured differently than the trucks we had. Reconfiguring the trucks would allow the forklifts to work in most of the work areas in our plant. Our existing forklifts were restricted to the areas they were designated to work in and as a result they weren't fully utilized.
The net effect is that we were able to reduce our fleet by one (1) truck or by 33 1/3%. This change also allowed us to take the 3rd forklift operator and have him be more productive in the plant instead of driving a lift truck. We knew that our operators weren't as productive as we wanted them to be but we didn't know why. We also knew that when operators aren't productive they are likely driving forklifts around just to put in time, and all of that was costing us money.
Overall our forklift capital costs, fuel, maintenance and other related costs have gone down by well over 20%. These days, reducing fuel costs alone can add up to a lot of savings. To us these numbers are huge.
Today, (4) years later we still operate with just (2) lift trucks without any negative impact to production, which by the way is up over 100% from that same time period. In the end, we do more with less.
We valued Scott's expertise and professionalism through the process and we still call Scott today for advice when it's required. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend him to any prospective business person who is looking to become more efficient and save money with their forklift fleet.
Doug Carl
President & Owner
CarlWood Lumber Limited
Sunrise Soya Foods
Sunrise Soya Foods has been very pleased with the forklift management results Scott McLeod has brought to our organization.
Scott's approach to forklift utilization and assessment of hourly consumption helped us increase our forklift utilization rate by 20%.
His expertise in forklift specifications and his recommendations for acquiring the right trucks with fewer units, saved us tens of thousands of dollars a year.
Scott helps me take the guesswork out of managing my fleet of forklifts and has saved me a lot of my time and money.
Colin Poon
Vice President of Operations
Sunrise Soya Foods
The Kerrisdale Lumber Co. Ltd
I have recently begun working with Scott McLeod for just two months. I phoned him out of curiosity after his site came up while I was searching for a lift truck. Scott had me stop the process of making a purchase while he did an analysis of our fleet and daily needs. In the end he made a case for not needing a new machine and renting an extra in peak times. He also gave my shipper some excellent tips regarding vehicle logs and maintenance procedures. I have saved more than his fee already.
Mark Perry
President
The Kerrisdale Lumber Co. Ltd